Veiled Deception
by Loki64
Summary: With Loki locked away in an Asgardian prison, the Avengers realize that the villain they now face is actually The Sorcerer, merely taking Loki's name and appearance. However, when this foe proves a challenging opponent, the Avengers are forced to call upon the real Loki, soon falling victim to his grand scheme... An Action/Adventure Post-Avengers Fanfic, Hawkeye's POV
1. Chapter 1: A New Villain

"Well, it looks like you all are just about done fixing this mess." Fury informed us. He slapped down a large manila folder on the conference table, each of us wincing with the amount of paper work, release forms, and money transfers as they collided with the wood.

"You're just lucky I'm so god damn rich. And so ridiculously generous," Tony Stark curtly replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, his freshly-pressed, gray pinstripe suit creasing slightly at his waist. Natasha Romanov sat in the padded conference chair next to the billionaire, listening to the meeting like an administrator analyzing a classroom of teenagers. Bruce Banner sat next to her, his brown eyes and blank face absent of most emotion. If anything, he looked slightly in pain. On the other side of the table sat Thor and Steve Rogers, both surprisingly dressed in casual wear of this era for once. At Tony's words, Steve sent a disapproving glance his way.

"No, Stark." Fury declared, his stern voice reprimanding. "If you couldn't put forth the money, then it would be _your _ass hauling out every single piece of concrete and re-bar of damaged _civilian _property that you and your team caused to fall out of the sky! Because sure as hell, even with it's last ten years of taxes the nation's great city of _New York _couldn't even cover the damage!" Fury banged his fist on the conference table, sending a loud thump reverberating about the small room.

All was silent for a single, shocked moment. I looked to Steve, who just opened his mouth to probably protest how wrongly accused we were, but leave it to Tony to make his own almighty opinion heard.

"Wait, are you saying that you're dumping the blame on _us? _The _heroes _that stood up to an entire outer space army lead by a megalomaniac _moron _and risked _our _lives for the people of this city, of, of this _nation, _even, are to blame for what happened here? We saved all those bastards out there, and now they're dumping this on us?" Tony exclaimed, obviously offended. "It's not like we're not helping!" He turned to the rest of us.

"Do you guys see the thanks we're getting?" I started to shake my head, but stopped after receiving a one-eyed death glare from Fury.

"Listen. I don't like this either. There's a lot of powerful people out there controlling this city, and some of which we've managed to piss off. It's my job to get things back to normal, so you guys can get back to being superheroes, or whatever the hell you want to call yourselves, and I can get back to my relaxing home in Malibu, and a bed that I haven't seen in months!" Fury concluded, ignoring a snort from Tony. I couldn't help but smirk. Even after all my years of knowing Nick, I still haven't figured him out. Just like Tony had said, the guy has more than just an empty socket hidden behind that eye patch, it's masking his entire life.

"But what I really did come here to say is, before Stark decided to make this entire discussion about him-" Fury he held up a single hand to silence Tony before he could protest, "I'm turning you all loose. SHIELD and I will continue managing the clean up of New York, so between our weekly sweeps of the city, you are free to do whatever you wish to do with your time. Keep your phones on, because I don't know when the next world-enslaving villain is going to show his face. That is all." And with that, the 6 of us Avengers stood up, nodded once to Fury, then left the all-too-familiar SHEILD conference room behind...

* * *

"I feel like we should throw a party or something. Vodka, anyone?"

It was the night after Fury's last conference, and we were crashing in Tony's place at Stark Tower to celebrate, so to speak. Well, of us except Bruce, that is. Tony and Pepper had the building fixed in a stunning month, though maybe that wasn't much of a surprise since Tony had employed half of New York to get it back to normal as fast as possible. The Tower kind of turned into the Avengers' base, since not only Tony and Pepper now lived there (Tony in spotted intervals, of course), but also Thor, Bruce and Steve. Thor lived with Tony not only because he really didn't have a place, but mostly because none of us trusted him quite yet to be on his own. We liked to say he was still... "adapting to Midgardian society." Bruce was going to return to India and bury himself in anonymity again, but Tony had convinced him otherwise. The promise of a lab was probably included somewhere in the deal. Steve on the other hand did start renting an apartment nearby, but somehow he always ended up at Tony's place.

"Yeah, yeah Tony. Any reason for you to drink more." I replied as I leaned against the back of Tony's leather sofa. Natasha sat on the edge next to me, her feet dangling a foot off the ground as she swung them absently, probably unaware that the motion made her look -may I say it?- cute. I considered reaching for her hand, but decided against it.

"Hey now. I just want to have a good time." Tony joked, smiling, and grabbed two glasses at the mini bar across the room, going ahead and pouring two drinks. I was about to ask why, but then he turned to Thor.

"Come on, buddy. Have you ever passed up a drink?"

"You know me well, Tony." Thor beamed, and then took the glass, downing half of it almost immediately. So is this what they teach their princes in Asgard? How to down strait Vodka in one gulp? Very useful skill for ruling a kingdom, I must say...

"So, Widower and SnakeEye, you guys still Fury's little servants?" Tony poked, settling himself on a bar stool in front of us. The man always seemed inclined to tempt me to punch him.

"He hasn't indicated otherwise." Natasha responded, her voice smooth and controlled like usual. "I suppose that's because we can easily take care of any conflict that arises without use of the Avengers." I smirked when Tony's lower lip twitched. Natasha did have a way with landing stealthy blows on Tony Stark's massive ego.

But he was right. Fury's address to the rest of the team earlier that day didn't really apply to us. We'd been running missions for him all throughout the month of reparations on New York, and we didn't expect that to stop any time soon. Fury had us assigned to a separate unit, where we joined another man by the name of Ethan Price (code name Gunner) and worked jobs over in the Middle East. Fury had a knack for extreme paranoia, so Ethan, Nat and I were the ones he sent out as soon as a pin dropped over there. We also covered the little issues that popped up in the U.S. Lot's of mafia and political conflicts, where some idiot got involved with the wrong people and suddenly there's a gunman on every street corner waiting for him. Someone phones Fury, Fury phones us, and we take care of the head guy. Regardless of what, we've been busy. Very busy.

"Fair enough." Tony finally said. "At least you guys didn't have to participate in this 'let's clean Loki's shit up' gig of ours. That bastard Fury made me fly 7 full size _buses _to a junk yard 2 miles outside the city limits! Who does he think I am? Iron Man?"

At that Tony burst into laughter, his drink spilling over the edge of his glass. I couldn't help but laugh at that one. If I wasn't mistaken, Natasha may have even cracked a smile. I glanced over at Steve to see if he had lightened up a bit, but I just found him staring worriedly at Tony. I sighed inwardly. If Tony didn't watch himself, we were all going to have to witness a speech from Mr. Morals...

Tony seized his laughing, and went to take another gulp. "I'm hilarious, aren't I? Now I know why you guys all love me so much." But as his thick glass touched his lips, Steve shot forward and took it right out of Tony's hand. "HEY!"

"You also need to take it a bit slower, Tony. At this rate you'll be at glass number 6 before we even get to the movie." Steve corrected, placing the glass on the other side of the table before settling back down in his chair. Tony sighed.

"Fine, Rogers. Just for you." Then suddenly his brown eyes flicked up to me. "What movie did you say it was again, Clint? It better be good, or I'm gonna say you should have let me pick."

"The A-Team." I replied. "Stuff blows up, so it's probably pretty good. It's on HBO tonight. You do get HBO here, don't you?"

"Sounds entertaining! But seriously, Clint. I'm offended." Tony mocked a pout. "'Course I do, I have HBO1,2, 3, all the way through 37!"

"Tony, there aren't ev-"

"I know, I know. But I had to say that, because I need to have better stuff than everyone else around me, remember?"

I sighed, but an unwilling smile crept across my lips. "You can be such an ass sometimes, you know that?"

"I've been told before." Tony grinned, clapping me on the shoulder as he walked by. Our eyes followed him.

"Well, pizza's here in 14. We eat, then after our food settles, Clint and I have a cage match to the death, and then if we're still feeling up to it, it's movie time at 10. Sound good with everyone?" Tony asked, turning on a heel to face us again. I smirked as we all nodded.

"You're on." But a part of me really hoped he was joking about the cage match...

* * *

It had been a week. A pretty quiet week too, if I may say. Natasha and I rented a place in New Jersey, a small apartment on the 8thfloor with a nice view of the river. Fury called and said he didn't see any "immediate upcoming disasters" but that he'd call us again as soon as he did. I didn't doubt that for a minute. So, judging by the fact Natasha and I hadn't stayed in one place for more that two nights in a row for the last month, we decided to settle. But I found out pretty soon us assassins didn't 'settle' very well.

"Natasha! Why are there 3 deadbolts on this door?" I called out as I walked by the front door that afternoon. They were shiny silver, with neatly drilled screws holding them in place. Yep. Definitely new. I heard footsteps in the hall and I looked up to see Natasha walking towards me, her red hair grown just a bit longer since Loki's attack. I sighed as I looked into her green eyes, all anger from a moment ago gone. I used to be immune to her natural grace, but ever since I told her I loved her, I was just as weak as the rest of them.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me, sliding her hands across my back and pulling me into a hug. Leaning my head on her shoulder and burying my face in her soft hair, I breathed in the scent of her cherry-blossom shampoo.

"There was only one when I rented this place." I murmured into her ear. She stroked my back softly, her elegant fingers trailing up to the seam of my t-shirt.

"Exactly. So three is better." She replied, gently lifting my head off her shoulder. Our breath caused a sphere of warm air between our lips as we slowly drifted into the adoration in each others eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?" Natasha smiled up at me, and unwilling to resist the urge, I leaned forward to kiss her. But before I could, I felt her slender finger pressed against my lips and a warning glance in her eyes.

"Watch it, Barton," She began, pulling away. "I don't want you compromised." But to that I just smiled and grabbed her arms in a strong, yet caring, grip as I turned her to look at me. Because in her eyes I saw years of my life, years of memories and experiences together. All the pain, the joy, the excitement, the trial and the victory of every single mission we shared. And I remembered each time that I looked into those eyes, I fell just a bit more until finally, I ended up in her arms.

"I already am." And with that, I kissed her.

* * *

So maybe I got slapped.

If I thought regular women were hard enough to read, Natasha Romanov was a whole new challenge. All I can say for her is that she's lucky I have some self control, because I did come pretty close to hitting her back. But hey, she was nice enough to fetch me a bag of ice.

"So what did we learn today, Agent Barton?" Natasha asked as she lounged next to me on our couch, her feet draped across my lap. Did she enjoy tempting me? I sighed in defeat as I pressed the cool ice against the side of my face. I feared it would bruise...

"I can't kiss you, but you can kiss me." I bluntly answered, repeating what she had told me moments before. Then suddenly I turned to her, lowering the ice from my cheek. "But seriously, that doesn't even make se-"

"Shhh, Clint." Natasha said, leaning forward and pressing her fingers to my lips once again. "I'm a woman, It doesn't have to." With that she flashed me a mocking smile because she knew she had won, and then stood, walking over to the kitchen.

"There's lasagna in the fridge if you want some. I'm off to SHIELD, Fury wanted me to check something for him." Natasha said, not looking up as she grabbed her bottle of Starbucks Mocha Cappuccino and took a few gulps.

"What? Why? Fury said he was going to leave us alone." I questioned, confused. I was hoping she'd stick around for once.

"It's nothing big. Just a few reconnaissance pictures from the west that need analyzing. I'll be back by ten." She replied, sounding much like the receptionist from a business firm that works by the calendar like a clock.

I sunk back into the soft leather sofa with a sigh. "Guess I'll be at Tony's."

"Of course." And then she was gone with the soft, but solid, thump of a closing door.

And there I was. Left alone on the couch in an empty apartment. Again. My head fell back as I stared at the scattered stucco pattern stamped into the ceiling, letting my eyes follow its mindless path. Should I go to Tony's? He's got a great firing range in the basement. Plus Thor's there. They're probably watching football or hockey. Or drinking. Tony had been doing a lot of that lately. I thought maybe it was just the stress of cleaning up New York. But now it seems he does it out of boredom. Steve hasn't been doing too well either. We met over at Tony's one day for a weapon check, and he looked pretty downcast. Don't blame the guy. Free time has given him free thought. He probably misses her...

Bored. I think we all were, in some way or another. We weren't complacent, we were restless. Pretty soon Thor would request a vacation to Asgard in evil's absence, and then Tony would go back to building arc-powered missiles in his bedroom. Although Natasha seemed content enough with Fury's few assignments, I wasn't. I fear it's just me, but I found myself waiting, almost hoping, for something bad to happen. Maybe not awful, no, because awful would be too much trouble, but just a decent challenge with a decent foe. No more, no less. But god be damned if Fury caught me thinking these things.

So with that I shut my eyes and waited. It was only 3 hours...

* * *

"Maintaining cruising altitude and enjoying the newly rebuilt sights of New Yo- Wait a second, Fury. I think you missed a spot."

Tony's mocking voice came through the radio as we all sat in the conference room of Stark Tower, watching as Tony projected his sights onto the large flat screen on the wall. And sure enough, the streets were clean and most of the buildings rebuilt, except for a block and a half near the bottom of Tony's view that showed a significant amount of rubble and orange warning cones in the intersection.

"Stark, I'd advise you to keep your gaze onwards and your unnecessary comments to yourself before I send Agent Romanov to shoot you out of the sky." Fury replied sternly.

"Okay, okay. Just joking, geez. But everything looks fine from up here." Tony continued, sounding slightly out of breath as he made a sharp turn towards Time Square for a final check. "Thor, you see anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing," Thor said, his voice barely audible over the rushing of wind over his earpiece. I still couldn't accept the fact that that guy could actually fly. "However, there appears to be an old woman struggling with some groceries, I think I shall-"

"Thor! Leave the lady alone, you'll probably give her a heart attack just by showing up! That hammer of yours and all the _res t_of you with it. What do you weigh, like, 375 pounds?"

"STARK!"Fury nearly yelled. "You two can chat over coffee later, but right now, _eyes on the street!" _

"Ay ay Captain, geez." Tony breathed, and his digital sights trailed back down to the street as Jarvis projected zoomed images of whatever specifics Tony set his eyes on. "But I already told you, there's no-"

Just then Tony's screen flashed a blinding white and cracked down the center, just as a deafeningly cacophonous static erupted in the room. "Holy SHI-IT!" Tony's voice cracked and suddenly the screen showed Tony spiraling towards the ground. "What the FU- jus- SHIT!" The audio of a violent crash rebounded off the walls of the conference room, causing us all to jump.

"Get your ASSES over here, RIGHT NOW!" Tony yelled as his sights continued to crack and flash sickeningly. And it didn't take any more than that for the remaining Avengers to grab our weapons and get to the roof. Jumping into one of SHIELD's jets, it took us a max of 4 minutes to get to where Tony was. Landing the hover jet in the street in a quickly clearing mass of panicked New Yorkers, we ran out of the jet and looked towards the source of the chaos. Iron Man shot into the sky from what was previously a building, and began firing blast after blast down the street.

I snapped my bow open, and knocked an explosive arrow as we ran forward down the street, our eyes straining to focus on whatever or whoever Tony was firing at. I heard a few people yell, "Look! It's the Avengers!" But their shouts of joy were spotty at best, because they seemed to know the seriousness of the situation more than we did. But then, suddenly a blast of green flew into a building, energy crackling through its supports until the entire thing crumbled to the ground. Screams echoed through the air as the ground shook with enough magnitude to almost bring down two more buildings.

"Dammit!" I yelled, covering my head as rubble propelled itself through the air, raining down on everyone in the vicinity. I turned around to Rogers and Natasha and yelled, "Get the civilians out of here!" I ducked again as another tremor tore itself through the ground, and desperately threw a look towards Banner, who was bracing himself against an abandoned car. His confused gaze met mine.

"Now would be a good time, Doctor!" I yelled at him as I ran forward. I heard the familiar tear of fabric followed by a tremendous roar and footsteps of a weight that nearly challenged that of the falling building. We ducked between some scattered cars until finally we reached the location Tony kept focusing all of his shots.

In the middle of the 8 lane road was a large pile of torn up asphalt and an assortment of public transportation vehicles towering 30 feet into the air. But at the very top, there was a fluctuating white-ish green glowing dome that sent out crackling bolts of energy.

"Holy shit..." I breathed as I stared in dreadful awe. I specifically said 'not awful', didn't I? Taking a deep breath and cursing myself for even thinking, I drew back my bow and prepared to launch an arrow when suddenly the dome disappeared in a blinding flash of white light. I blinked quickly, urging my retinas to recover, and just as I could see again, my eyes widened at the single figure standing tall on top of the mass of cars.

"H-keye! Wh- at the -ll you waiting for?" Tony's crackled voice blasted through my earpiece from his latest crater a few blocks back. I began to re-extend my draw, but suddenly I was locked under the man's stare.

"Miss me?" He said, his voice confident and mocking as he slowly walked towards me, long black leather coat flowing at his ankles.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice slightly shaky as I tried to keep my shot aimed. But the man with the jagged, short black hair just smiled a kind of sick, twisted grin.

"You forget me so soon? I thought I had made a better first impression, Agent Barton." My eyes went wide, and I felt my draw weaken as the man stopped just a few feet away from me, easily pushing the tip of my arrow away from his chest.

"For I am Loki of Asgard, and I expect you to kneel."

* * *

[end first chapter!] Let me know what you think! :)

[[[**Author's Note**: At this point I'm currently writing Chapter 5 and I realize now the fact that this story may require a bit of explanation in order to keep the reader's interest, because I feel that I am lying to you all! At the end of this chapter you don't know this yet, but hey, it only takes the first sentence of the next chapter to have you realize- Surprise! Not actually Loki. I've been saying for a while now that yes, Loki will show up, but well, he has a very complicated plan figured out, so it takes a few chapters for that to come into play! This is where the explaining comes in :)

To me, this fanfic functions in 3 separate plot sections. The first is the conflict with The Sorcerer, the second is the realization and execution of Loki's plan (yippee!), and the third and final plot is the most important villain and conflict (but also unifying factor -hint hint!-) of this fanfiction. You guys excited yet? Yep, I got this all planned out!

So perhaps I've given too much away, but I couldn't fit a proper summary in the space provided, and I feel you guys need a better outline of this fanfic! But then again... where's the surprise in that? But I haven't told you all everything yet, so keep posted cause I'll keep writing! ;3 Fanfic ON!) ]]]


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorcerer

Hello! Sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter. Wrote the first half a while ago, and finally got around to finishing it! I apologize for any errors; I'm not very skilled at editing… And yep, there's no slash in this! This is not that story! Ha ha! So, sorry for misleading you if any of you are following this for that reason! And uh, just forewarning…

LOKI'D! ehehehehe!

* * *

But he wasn't.

His face was different. Entirely. It wasn't Loki. Not at all. But whether he was Loki or not, there was no way in hell I was kneeling to this bastard.

"_CLINT!"_ With one last calculating look into the man's dark brown eyes, I lept backwards and fired an arrow straight at his chest. The man laughed, and with a swipe of his arm, a shimmer of green appeared, deflecting the arrow.

"Shame. I'll take that as a 'no'." He lunged forward, hand extended for my neck, but I swung my bow, the edge coming in contact with the back of his hand. He cried out as anger flashed in his eyes, but just as he began to kick out, we both heard a vicious growl. I flung myself backwards out of the way just in time to avoid getting full-out slammed by the Hulk as his great, green body catapulted on top of the sorcerer.

"Guys, he's _not Loki! _I don't know who the fuck he is, but he's _not _Loki!" I yelled into my earpiece, grabbing an arrow from my quiver.

"_Barton? What are you saying?"_ Natasha's voice rang clear in my ear.

"He said- shit!" I was cut off when suddenly sharp, cracked shards of concrete shot out in a half-moon shape as if propelled by a multi-bolt crossbow from the sorcerer. The Hulk released a mind-shattering growl, and I looked up again to see concrete protruding from his chest. I released another arrow, the thin projectile speeding lethally towards the man. He almost didn't notice, but with a quick, lithe movement, he dodged it and sent a razor shaped sheet of green magic careening my way. My eyes went wide as I brought my left arm up to shield my face and brace myself for the hit, but suddenly there was a crash in front of me and a blast of electricity as the magic dissipated in the air. I looked up to see Thor crouched in the broken street in front of me, his hammer extended and large red cape fluttering to the ground.

"Stand back, Barton." Thor warned protectively. On any other occasion, I would have been offended, but at the moment, I found myself too confused to put my fight together.

"_Clint, please!" _

"The guy said he was _Loki!_ But look at him! He's _not!" _I straightened, looking around Thor's broad back at the leather-clad man who had introduced himself as Loki. This man was stockier, with broader shoulders. And he wasn't wearing the same outfit, his consisted of a floor length leather vest with gold lined detailing, and a tight green, shortsleeved shirt beneath it, with black pants and boots with gold buckles. But no armor. And no pointy, shiny helmet.

"You are not my brother." Thor declared, his hand tense on his hammer. The other man grinned, magic swirling and flickering in his open palm.

"Of course I'm not, _Thor Odinson. _I was never your brother." He answered. "But howabout we humor eachother for _justttt_ a moment. 'Cause I'm in the mood for a rather _deadly _brotherly duel." The sorcerer laughed, his head falling back with the action. Just then, the Hulk launched himself at 'Loki' again.

"Nice try, big guy!" The man said, and threw his ball of swirling magic at the Hulk's chest. It hit and dissipated, the magic fading into a thin but eery smoke that hovered about the monster's head, slipping in through his nostrils. My eyes hovered, instantly recognizing a potential issue as the Hulk stumbled, shaking it's large head rapidly as if to clear a foggy mind.

"I do not understand... You cannot- You are not Loki!" Thor yelled, still fixated with the man who claimed to be his... not-brother.

"Thor- I think we might have a bigger... greener problem now." I said warily, as the Hulk's eyes began to glow and it's muscles fluctuate as if something was coursing through them. It only took a moment more for the large body to snap into a rigid stance, it's suddenly deadly sight locked immediately on the God of Thunder.

"Consider this revenge, you dull creature! And regret what you have done!" The man in leather yelled at the Hulk, before muttering something and disappearing in a flash of green.

"_You can beat me once, but I will not allow a second time! Have fun, my dear Avengers! Enjoy what you have created... And be wary of who you trust."_ The man's ominous voice resounded throughout the entire street, echoing off the buildings despite the lack of his physical being.

"_What the hell's going on, Barton! Talk to us!" _The Captain's urgent voice rung in my ear. I stood beside Thor as we stared up at the Hulk, who stared back down at us.

"_Um... not quite sure. But if you could care to stop by-" _My voice faded as the Hulk's apparent transformation completed and I stared in awe as the large green man glowed even greener.

"Shit. He's possessed, isn't he." I said flatly, knocking an arrow and widening my stance. It wouldn't help to hold anything back. Plus, whoever the hell that was was going to get the shit beat out of him; how dare he use mind control.

"I'm afraid so..." Thor replied. The God's face was hesitant and conflicted as he raised his hammer. Suddenly Iron Man landed beside us, straightening and then raising his hand repuslors warily.

Then everything changed when the Hulk attacked. (LOLLL)

It came with a roar that shook every standing structure on the street, rattling the very supports and sending waves through the panels of glass lining each facade. My team and I stumbled backwards with the force, and winced eternally remembering the last time we had faced the Hulk. That was aboard the Helicarrier. And now this was Time Square. Shit.

He slammed both of his fists down, absolutely shattering the concrete road slabs and busting a fire hydrant beside his left foot. Water propelled itself into the air like a geyser as we began launching attacks left and right. Thor with his hammer, Iron Man with his reactor blasts, and soon enough, Cap with his shield and Widow with her twin pistols. Much to our dismay (though also to our expectation) none of our attacks, save those of Iron Man and Thor, had any affect on the rage monster. And if he wasn't in a rage then, he was now.

He let out another growl, and grabbed a taxi cab behind him, letting it sail right at us. The cab spun multiple times in the air, and I instantly predicted it's deadly path and imminent roll. I looked to my right to see Natasha trying to do the same, but it an instant, I had grabbed her by the waist and we crashed onto the ground as the cab flew over our flattened bodies.

"Thanks," She breathed, staring into my eyes for just a moment.

"'Hafta keep you safe, don't I?" I replied, grinning up at her.

"You try too hard." She then lept to her feet, and pulled me abruptly to my feet as I let out a short laugh. True.

When Thor threw his hammer, it missed the Hulk's head by a foot, but as it flew back to Thor's awaiting hand, it slammed into the back of the green man's head. The hulk roared again, and turned at the waist, but instead of hitting Thor, he threw both of his fists into the side of the building next to him, shattering glass and bending supports. As he pushed harder, the entire building shifted with a huge groan. But loader than that groan were the cries and screams of all the people inside. It appeared like this was the Hulk's target, because he kept hitting and hitting and hitting to weaken the support.

Damn villains. Civilians are always fair game to them.

"I'll distract him!" Tony yelled, taking flight and hitting the Hulk with a hard blast in the back.

"Over here, you ugly high school science experiment!"

The Hulk roared and turned, swatting at Iron Man as he skillfully darted around and around him, succeeding in disorienting the monster. Meanwhile, Thor landed blow after blow at the Hulk's knees, trying to get him to fall. In his hysteria, the Hulk managed the land a solid blow on Tony, sending his metal form straight into the side of a building.

"Shit!" I exclaimed when things turned bad again. I could hear the civilians continue their screaming, and I knew the photos and the captions that would show up in the news tomorrow... _Superhero Team Forced to Fight Against Their Own Teammate; Is this team really as strong as we thought, and will this happen again? _I grimaced. Bastard. I set sail another arrow at the Hulk's eyes, but he jerked backwards and my arrow lodged itself in his cheek. He just roared and ripped the shaft out of his skin. This was not looking good at all...

The monster grabbed another car, and let in sail into a side building, glass and shrill screams raining down around us. Fury was going to kill us for this.

"Over here!" Cap yelled, just as his shield slammed into the Hulk's head. This earned the captain his own private taxi cab. And if not for Thor's intervention, it would have been a life fare.

The hulk lifted another car, suddenly angry at the Norse God for saving his last target, and let it fly towards him. Thor, however, hit it away with a powerful swing of his hammer. Despite the Hulk's repeated failed attempts at leveling his enemies, he did not seem to lack determination, or stamina . The rest of us, however...

"_We need to end this, now." _Natasha said into her mic, and I glanced at her.

"_Agreed._" Thor replied quickly. The two of them exchanged a glance and then suddenly Natasha rushed forward, diving towards the Hulk, gun's not even brandished. What the hell was she-?

"_Nat!" _I yelled out as the Hulk reached behind him to grab another car to hurl at us. But that car was exactly where Natasha was. She numbly slid under the car and slapped something to the bottom just as the Hulk grabbed it. When the dark blue van got about his head, Natasha clicked a button on her belt, and the van exploded in a blast of bright orange fury. The van immediately dropped on the Hulk's head, sending him reeling backwards.

"Now Thor!" And then Thor leaped into the air, and brought his hammer down _mighty _hard on top of the large man's head. I expected to hear skull fracture, but instead, the Hulk stumbled, his eyes flickering and fading the glowing green until finally his pupils disappeared in his head and he fell to the ground, causing a mini tremor when his over-sized body met the concrete.

We all stood breathlessly around the unconscious mass, each of us with a mix of sweat, worry and relief on our brow. It was then that Tony decided to show up, Iron Man coming to a shaky landing beside me.

The billionaire grunted and frustratingly ripped a broken forearm piece off his hand. "Someone please tell me we won't have to do _that _again."

* * *

"So, Agent Barton, you had the most contact with the hostile, am I correct? The recorded feed could not pick up the responses, do you care to share with us how you came to your conclusion?" Fury began, lounging back in his leather chair at the head of the meeting table. Yes, the very same meeting table we had all hoped not to be sitting around for a very long time.

"He said he was Loki. His speech, it was very similar to Loki's-" I began

"But he did say, 'my dear Avengers', didn't he? I mean, what the _hell?" _Tony interjected, waving a hand as if the thought was crazy.

"I admit what he said, he even continued to deny our brotherhood, was accurate, but it was the tone and word choice. It was not him. His eyes... His eyes were brown. And did not sparkle with the all-knowing, mischievous glint of my brother's." Thor said, deep in thought and seeming oddly torn.

"Look at him, look at the photos!" I gestured at the printed images laid out on the table, some close enough to see definite facial features. "It's not Loki. I really don't care what he said, he's got to be some delusional, identy-confused, wack-job or something, 'cause it wasn't Loki. That's that." I stated sternly, falling back into my chair. I was damn tired of this Loki shit. That man fucked with my head, manipulated me to fight for him and against my own team, against _Natasha_, and if I couldn't put arrow that same man's skull, then I was not interested in this poser.

"Barton speaks the truth." Thor said simply, crossing his large arms across his broad chest. I looked to him and couldn't help myself from thinking... damn would I kill for a build like that...

"Do you think Loki could somehow be controlling this man from Asgard?" Natasha said suddenly, all eyes turning to look at her, and then to Thor.

Thor seemed briefly taken aback, as if the thought had not crossed his mind, but then he settled back into certainty. " No, that is not possible. Loki is locked upon Asgard, and Odin has removed all of his magic." Thor offered, his voice reassuring. "My brother is powerless, he has no place here on earth any more. This is not his doing."

"Then how do you explain all the creepy green magic? The guy was packing. And it wasn't from here." Tony interjected, raising a single eyebrow.

"And taking control of Bruce... That was also Loki's skill. Well, minus the scepter." Steve added, his argument solid. We all looked to Thor again because this was all pointing to Loki, yet not...

"Those that Loki possesses can not wield his magic. He is the sole bearer. The man we fought today was a trained sorcerer, much like Loki is. It is possible that this man, whoever he may be, is from my realm and has studied the same art that Loki has."

"And he's just piggy-backing off Loki's name? I thought big bad guys wanted their own name on the wanted list, not someone elses," Tony said. Thor shifted uncomfortably.

"I... I am unsure, Tony."

Fury stood abruptly, gathering the photos and stuffing them back into his folder.

"Well, kids. Looks like we've got our new 'Big Bad'. Fake-Loki, Poser-Loki, Wanna-be-Loki, whatever the hell we wanna call him. You decide. I'll be on the look out and you guys keep your phones on. And Steve, Thor, when the screen goes black and won't turn on, it's because it's _out of charge, _not _broken." _Thor winced, probably remembering when he had come to Fury, his phone screen cracked from where he had hit it in desperation, only to witness Fury's, well, _fury _about Thor's 'blatant ignorance and inability to analytically assess situations'. That conversation carried 3 rooms over. Fury sighed, "Stark, help them, please." Then he walked out of the room, his leather coat flowing behind him. Then Steve a moment later, and then Thor.

I was lost for a second in thought. Decked out in pecs and huge biceps like Thor, throw in some of Steve's super-soldier strength and a bad-ass leather coat like Fury's... Standing on the top of a building with my bow in hand...Yep. I could deal with that.

"Barton, already brainstorming names, are we?." Natasha asked, patting me lightly on the shoulder. I blinked a few times in confusion.

"Wh-what?" I replied, startled. Natasha's face hitched briefly, upset that she had misguessed the subject of my pondering for once. Not like I'd ever tell her. I decided to go with it, but what names... naming fake Loki! "Oh-oh yeah. I'll have to think on that one, but at the moment I'm probably leaning towards DittoDick-Loki." I replied curtly, smiling up at her.

"Funny one. But seriously, Tony's gonna beat you to it." Natasha chided, nodding over at Tony who had been listening. I glanced over my shoulder and he mouthed, 'Oh, it's on.' I smiled and then stood, groaning as I extended my arms in a stretch. I dared a glance at Natasha, who was looking the other way, before sloppily draping my arm across her shoulders with a dramatic yawn.

"Oh-Clint!" She exclaimed, a bright smile briefly lighting up her features as she humorously shoved my arm off her shoulders. I couldn't help but laugh as she jokingly hit me in the side. As we walked out of the room together, I glanced back to Tony who winked at me. There probably wasn't anyone else that wanted Nat and I to be together more than that guy. Well, except for me, of course.

* * *

So days passed slowly. We were all pretty tightly-strung just waiting for ditto-douche-Loki to show his face. Or was it equally-douchey-poser-Loki? Tony and I did have too much fun with the name games. Unfortunately unamused by our humorous creativity, Fury banned us from coming up with any more names, and took executive action to declare that the 'hostile's' name will simply be, "The Sorcerer." Pretty lame if you ask me. Even Tony's name of Super Green Buttscratcher (abbreviated SGB) was better than that. But of course Steve didn't like that name very much, even if it was for an enemy. That guy was such a prude... But hey, America in the 40s; not much different from what I've heard.

Things were pretty normal around the Avenger's HQ, but Bruce was visibly affected by the event a few days ago. He stayed in his room a lot, or his lab, and sometimes you'd catch a glimpse of him in the kitchen making coffee for himself. The way he always hung his head, eyes too sorrowful to meet another's... I have never wanted any part of the guilt and self-loathing that poor guy felt. And no matter how much the rest of us told him it wasn't his fault, he'd just say, "If I wasn't here in the first place, that could have never happened. And who's to say it won't happen again?" And to that, we had no response.

So, we waited. Waited very similarly to how we waited before. Keeping our sights wide and our feet light on the ground, knowing something bad was going to come crashing down on our heads. But where there was an odd sense of hope previously, now we were certain that shit was going down. So we did hold our breath, because we knew it couldn't be long...

* * *

Again, sorry for the wait! Hope you liked it, reviews are always welcome! And if you guys can come up with any other creative nicknames for Fake!Loki that I can throw in there, please let me know! Haha! :)

And if you're indeed wondering, Loki WILL have a part in this story, just not right now! You'll have to wait a bit. True, it might be a long bit, but he's the grand surprise! Ehehehe! ;)

PS: Did any of you get my fire nation reference? Just curious... I couldn't stop myself. XD


	3. Chapter 3: Ethan Price

((Hello again guys! I'm sooooo sorry for the long wait! I apologize cause well, truthfully I kind of forgot about this story! woops... shame shame I know, and it's even worse cause I know exactly where I want to go with it, I just need to get there! Cause well, I'm very excited for Loki's 'great arrival', so I'm pushing to get there! Gotta give Phoki (lol!) some time as the villian though! I'd love to say this chapter is a huge plot advancement, but it's not really lol. You guys needed to meet Ethan Price though!

So yep, really hope you guys like this chapter! Please leave reviews, I love to hear your thoughts!))

* * *

Well. Perhaps we shouldn't have held our breaths. Because it was a while. A suspicious kind of quiet on the Loki front. Truth is, we were stuck. SHIELD, Fury, the Avengers- all of us, nothing. We tried running a facial scan to see if this man had come from earth and could potentially be pinned with an ID or with a location, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. So either this man somehow managed to get every single bit of info on him wiped, or he was not from this planet and was doing a very, very good job of hiding. And well, the latter seemed to make the most sense.

So, we were at a standstill, and Fury has been more pissed than ever before. But really, there was nothing we could do about it until the Sorcerer, as he was so deemed, made his next move.

But despite all of this, the last thing Natasha, Ethan and I were doing was 'standing still'.

* * *

"Yo hawk! You wanna get this moving or do you want me to just sit up here on this roof all day?" Ethan voiced sarcastically through the mic in my ear. I laughed inwardly, and then motioned for Natasha to take a step closer to the door. I raised my gun, cocked and ready, and then kicked down the door.

"Everyone get down! Where is Daniel Gordon?! Now!" I shouted as cries echoed through the small room as people dove behind their rows of computers, scrambling to exit. I fired at some of the screens, light and glass shards being thrown around the room.

"Tasha now!" I yelled as I fired quickly at someone who had drawn a weapon. Natasha pulled one of Stark's screens from her pocket and with a finger pressed to the glass, all of the computers flashed and sparked as instantaneously all of their drives busted. This summoned more angry cries, and suddenly someone jumped at me from the side. A quick elbow jab to the man's jaw sent him reeling as I followed up with a punch to the gut. Slamming the man against the wall I demanded again; "Where is Daniel Gordon?!" The man sputtered in fear, but still didn't tell me.

Then suddenly- "Barton! I got him!" Natasha yelled, as she emerged from a back room, throwing a middle aged man in a suit to the ground. More men emerged, but Natasha and I quickly neutralized them. As we turned back to the spy who had managed to work his way into SHIELD, suddenly a bullet splintered through the glass, followed shortly after with a heavy thump on the ground. I whirled around to see a man with a gun sprawled right behind Natasha, a small hole in the side of his head.

"Gotchya" Ethan's voice sounded in my ear.

"Thanks." Natasha replied to the sniper on the opposite roof. But then she looked around the room as she took in the destruction we had caused in that short time. "Fury isn't going to like this much."

"No. But he will like having this traitor in cuffs in his office. You should try to be a bit more careful next time, IP codes are easily traceable. And trying to transfer data over coded Wi-Fi? Well, it's not coded to us. Shield doesn't appreciate rats, I doubt you'll be seeing light for a while." I said, hauling the unarmed man to his feet as Tasha hooked cuffs around his wrists. "Same goes for them." I nodded towards all the tech specialists that this man had enlisted on this 'Hack SHIELD' attempt of his. If you ask me, he should have just contacted a certain Mr. Tony Stark for that job.

I spoke into my mic. "Price, tell SHIELD to get their men in here, there's a bit of a mess to clean up."

"Copy that." And then I heard the familiar clicks of a disassembling sniper rifle. A moment later, some men dressed in black with the familiar symbol of SHIELD on their shirts.

"Good job, agents, we got this from here." So with that, our team of three pulled out.

* * *

"Dont you think that task was a bit too easy for our skill level, Fury? Let me know if someone forgets to return their library book." I said sarcastically. But then the thought crossed my mind that was a very Tony- ish thing to say. Huh. The three of us special unit agents plus Fury sat in the familiar New York conference room once again. And Tony was saying _he's _the one sick of this room. But I have to be honest, I didn't really mind doing all of these little tasks for Fury because what else would I be doing? Knitting?

"Agent Barton, I was unsure of the level of danger concerning this operation, and I prefer not to take chances if it's not necessary. However, it was truthfully stupidity on Gordon's part for not enlisting an entire mafia to protect him. For such an undertaking as serious as trying to uncover the location of all of SHIELD's bases, current operations, and not to mention, agents, I would have expected the man to have a bit more security than those 'shoot and aim' mall cops!" Fury said, with much more anger than was appropriate. I mean, why was the man even angry in the first place?

Ethan spoke up first, leaning forward across the table. "Well, then I don't see the problem. They're done. We destroyed all the info, arrested the men, and cleared the situation. And you're complaining now that it was too easy?" Ethan asked, slightly exasperated like he was absolutely at a loss. His dark eyes matched his dark brown hair, and I feel it's expected to go on and say, ' and his dark demeanor', but well, that wouldn't be true. Out of all the assassin's I have met in my years, Ethan has managed to maintain the most positive and uplifting outlook when it comes to a job such as ours. Some think he doesn't take any of this seriously, but I just know it's his way of coping. Today he wore a light gray flannel shirt over a navy blue v-neck, and just like every day, a bullet shell hung from a silver chain around his neck, matching the silver of a heavy linked chain around his right wrist. He said it was his father's- the rotor blade chain from the helicopter he went down in in Vietnam.

"There's always something more, Agent Price, unless you're too dimwitted to see it!" Fury snapped back.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, holding up my hands warningly. "Step it down a notch, alright? No need to get up in arms over this, but I will have to agree you should relax, just a bit." I settled back down in my chair again.

Fury sighed and ran a hand across his forehead. "I apologize, agents. I'm just having a hard time relaxing when I know the Sorcerer is out there somewhere, and we have absolutely no eyes on him. That's an uncertainty that I do not bear well."

The three of us were silent for a long moment before Fury spoke again, and that was only to dismiss us with a quick, "Be careful, stay on the look-out, and keep your phones on, or I will personally hunt you down."

As we walked out of the room after Fury had promptly exited, Ethan added in a whisper, "-And we'd expect no less! I swear, Barton, that man is onto me. At least I now know why he won't let me join the Avengers- because he thinks I'm a dimwitted _dunce_, that's why!"

"Well..." I trailed off jokingly, and received a hard punch on the shoulder. Natasha chuckled lightly from behind us.

"But seriously, I think Fury should treat me with a bit more respect. 'Cause after all, I'm the one that could put a bullet through his last good eye from 9 blocks away." Ethan stated resolutely.

"I heard that, Price!" Fury suddenly yelled from the next hall over, and immediately Ethan's whole face dropped a few shades of color as a cuss word slipped his lips. "You wanna know why you're not part of the Avenger's Initiative? 'Cause you're too much of a trigger-happy, hot head! You'd start a war if I supplied you with enough fire power, and you know it!"

"Roger that, Director." Ethan deadpanned, rolling his eyes. Then he turned to me. "Well, I'm out to Marlow's to watch the big game today. You want in?" I shrugged.

"Sure, got nothing else planned." I replied, probably not with as much enthusiasm as he was hoping for. But hey, some people just don't enjoy normal life like others can.

He grinned brightly, and we said our good byes to Natasha before heading over to the sports bar on 16th and 4th. As we turned into the side street where the bar was located, Ethan grabbed my shoulder and said, "Hey- hey! This was totally _not _here a few days ago!" I turned and saw that he was pointing to the brick side of a building. But on that brick there was a spray painted, green, strange looking symbol slightly resembling a cursive 'n' with two slashes perpendicular to the right side of the n and another that hovered to the right.

"But what the hell kind of paint is this? Shines fricking _gold." _He said, studying it quizzically. As he ran a finger across the surface of the paint, I swear I saw the paint shine a flash of brighter gold. Suddenly Ethan's face contorted in confusion and he quickly pulled away, staring at his finger.

"Kinda... hot?"

"You haven't even had a drink yet, Ethan, and you're already stoned." I said sardonically. He laughed, and then we entered the bar, already packed with excited New Yorkers ready to watch an exciting game of large, oversized men shoving each other into turf and chucking pigskin down a field. Can't say I really enjoy watching football, but I do enjoy getting out every once and a while just for a break.

But, you see, today wasn't quite that day.

As I sat down at a bar stool next to my friend, beers already in hand, I looked up to the screen which showed the field, players lining up on opposites sides for the kick off. The announcer voiced over, reading names and stats and expectations for the game until suddenly-

"- the left back, Jason Marshall, starting the season with- wait, wait who is that? Right field, 20 yard line. Definitely not a player. Refs are approaching the man, the clocks been stopped. But what is this man- oh God!" And then suddenly, the small figure on the TV spun around, sending a wave of bright green magic out where it hit the 3 refs hard in the chest. I stood up, my chair screeching backwards and tumbling to the ground as the camera view switched, showing a detailed close up of no other than the Sorcerer.

My hand was immediately to my phone, where I grabbed the small removable earpiece that Stark had supplied us all with from the side. But before I could even speak, Tony's voice was in my ear.

"Avengers, get to the MetLife right now! Streaming broadcast- 3,2, live!" I turned to leave as soon as the announcer's voice was audible through my earpiece, but then the voice changed- the Sorcerer was speaking.

"Citizens of the Midgardian city of New York- your King has returned!

"Oh, _hell, _no!" Fury exclaimed angrily in my ear, obviously listening to the broadcast as well. I expected him to go on and order me to get my ass over there, but I hesitated a moment longer. I wanted to see this.

"-And on this very day, where I have failed before, I shall not withhold anything from this conquest on your city! I take a new approach, however, one of... _welcoming _your affections!"

Suddenly everyone in the bar was booing, angry at the game being held up by this wackjob. But then there were the people that were slowly figuring it out- the fact that this man thought himself to be Loki, the other-worldly being that had tried so hard to conquer New York a shy few months ago. How soon people forget.

"You all did not very well cooperate before, but I think, I think with just a bit of persuasion, you all can understand that I mean only the best for you. You can see the truth that I bring- for I mean to free you." The man continued. This was far too de-ja-vu for me to handle. I turned to Ethan, and for some reason, his eyes were intently fixed on the screen. Not in a focused, frustrated way, but in a _blank_ way. I nudged him, and he quickly snapped out of it.

"Ethan, it's time to go." But just as we turned to leave, the TV rumbled and the camera's shifted to film Tony in the Iron Man suit. I thought perhaps he'd land and start talking, but there wasn't even any deceleration before he flew _straight_ into the Sorcerer. They skid 20 yards across the field, tearing up turf. Suddenly, Tony flew backwards as the Sorcerer burst into a huge force field of green energy. Tony landed hard in middle field, but for some reason he didn't get up.

"So, I invite you now. Join hands with the most powerful man alive, for I am undefeatable! If you were wise, you would pick the winning side. So join me, mortals, and together we can conquer this city, this nation, and this _earth!_" The Sorcerer yelled, voice magically magnified by some sort of spell. I turned once again to leave, forcing myself from the screen, but then, with a flash of green, the Asgardian was gone, leaving only a hue of green and a shimmer of... gold.

"Well, looks like we now have a mission update, Price. So much for our break." I said, grabbing Ethan by the sleeve as we promptly exited. He sighed in defeat, but grabbed his beer anyway.

And as we walked back out to the street, the green symbol on the wall shimmered gold then disappeared...

* * *

End! Hope you liked it! I felt kind of bad not really having many of the other Avengers in this, but they'll be in the next one- I promise! Please leave reviews, and I'll try to update more frequently, haha! Gotta get this story moving!


	4. Chapter 4: Running Risks

((Hello guys! I think I'm just seriously going to give up on any notion of 'I'm gonna try to update faster!' Cause it's just kind of a loss haha! The only reason I wrote this chapter was the fact that I'm on winter break, I've got time now, yippee! Though it took me so long to get back into the mindset of writing this, cause no kidding I seriously forgot like, my entire plot line. Pretty bad right? But I'm on track again, and I know where I'm going now!

About that though, this is a kind of boring but necessary plot-development chapter, needed to set the scene for the Sorcerer's real plan, and for the shit that's going down in the next chapter! I once again apologize for the long absence of the 'real' Loki, he's just chilling around, laughing as his beautiful plan comes into being here on Earth! Well, not exactly, but you get the picture. All good things come to those who wait ;) I think he'll finally get some say in chapter 6! It'll all come together, yesssssssss :3

Sorry again for the wait, hope you like it! Reviews are always LOVED!

PS: Btw, If you're wondering, I kind of picture Colin Donnell (from Arrow) as my character Ethan Price, just maybe a tinyyy bit younger. ))

* * *

Chapter 4:

"So have we got any info on this guy? Besides the fact he enjoys interrupting nationally broadcasted football games and knocking out refs?" Tony asked, leaning forward over the conference table the night following the sorcerer's last appearance. The rest of the avengers sat in heavy anticipation, anxious with how public this villain has quickly gotten. We needed to take care of him, but we can't appropriately face this man if we don't understand who it is.

"As we've attempted last week, we did a face scan and came up with no matches whatsoever, not even a name. Our data bases still came up blank." Fury responded, clasping his hands behind his back as his one good eye peered around at us.

"What about finding his current location? Like how you found us-" I paused and corrected myself, avoiding bringing up some of my least favorable memories, "-him- before? It should be easier now that he's so willingly bringing so much attention to himself." I asked. Fury sighed and shook his head.

"He's lying low, just like before. At this point there's really not much we can do, except send out a public alert to see if anyone knows of him or his whereabouts." Fury stated.

"He's probably gone freaking _realm-jumping_, or something." Tony joked sardonically, obviously fed up with this guy. After all, it was Tony who's been thrown into buildings and personal craters.

"But didn't Thor say there was a chance he wasn't from here? That would explain the data base silence." Natasha observed. "And it would definitely explain his magic."

"Yes, it would, and as this man is a sorcerer of my brother's kind, Tony may also be right. Loki has mastered the skill of teleportation, so it is quite possible this man has as well. " Thor added.

"So we're chasing a teleporter? If I understand that concept correctly, that's probably pretty difficult." Steve added, and I noticed Tony hold back a smirk. They still teased each other about their cultural differences.

"So we're going to have to wait him out again?" I asked, bringing the conversation back to a course of action.

"Barton, I'm going to assign your team to a reconnaissance mission to establish as many connections as possible in trying to decipher this man's plans and decide his whereabouts. I'm tired of waiting around until the Sorcerer blows something else up. As for the rest of you, decide strategies and the best battle plans for facing this man without getting your asses kicked or your own teammates turned against you, do you understand?" Fury ordered sternly, his one good eye nearly twitching as he glared at each one of us. I winced and took a quick glance at Banner, who dropped his head in regret. Fury had to learn when was a good time to bring things up again.

But we all nodded and muttered quiet 'yes sirs.'

"Alright, you all report to Agent Hill for further instruction. You are dismissed." Fury concluded as we all stood. As I turned for the door, Fury's voice stopped me.

"Barton. Romanoff. A word, please."

I sighed inwardly and turned around, choosing to stand beside the table instead of sitting, hoping this might be quick, though dreading the impossibility of this assigned task. Finding info on this guy? We don't even have a name! Questions whirred though my head, but when I saw Natasha's calm demeanor, I decided against speaking.

"Have a seat, Barton." I hesitated. Damn.

As I slouched back into the seat beside Natasha, Fury walked to the front of the table, bringing the clear Stark-Tech screen on the wall to life. It showed a full body picture of the Sorcerer, along with a closer,clearer portrait, his dark brown eyes staring intensely to the right.

"Now, I have assigned you the task of finding all you can of this man, most specifically in terms of criminal/villain activity. I expect you to-"

"You do understand that this task is nearly impossible, with absolutely no basic information to go from? We don't have a name, we don't have an address, we don't have a number, a card, not even a finger print! There's absolutely nothing to go by, except for that photo." I said sternly, crossing my arms over my chest as I finished speaking. I felt at least Fury should have some idea of what he's asking us to do. I felt Natasha tense beside me as if to say 'now you've done it!'

Fury just stared for a long moment.

"But you ,Barton, I think are a good enough agent to go by just a face, and if not, perhaps you're not fit for this team!" He nearly spat. That shut me right up, because it didn't take me but a second to catch his underhanded threat.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely and unnecessarily interrupted, I expect your team to go undercover to consult agents of HYDRA, the Ten Rings, and Dr. Doom, because it is likely the Sorcerer has made contact with another villain organization, and it's our job to find out what we can. Understand?" We nodded. "Also, I will have you both and the rest of the team monitor current activity to look for warnings on potential upcoming threats. That is all."

I nearly scoffed with his last statement as I stood up. That's all? That's ALL? He only wants us to consult the 3 most dangerous major crime organizations on the planet before this guy executes his next attack? Who does Fury think we are?

As soon as Natasha and I were down the hall and far out of Fury's hearing range, I turned to Natasha.

"Nat, that guys out of his mind! We may be reconnaissance agents, but asking us to-!" But then Natasha grabbed me by my upper arms and pulled me close.

"Sshhh- Clint, we'll figure it out. I'll get my team in Russia to help us with the Rings, and I know Price has a connection to someone on the outskirts of HYDRA. As for Doom-"

"That's a death wish." I interrupted, frowning. She shook her head.

"We'll figure it out, it'll just take a bit of planning, and time."

"Definitely time." I repeated, and then we headed for the door.

* * *

We were a week into our mission, the Ten Rings already searched with no success or mention of the Sorcerer, and we had managed a connection within HYDRA, as we discovered they had assisted in Gordon's hack on SHIELD. Though this wasn't a direct connection with fake-Loki, it was still a notable one. One man had mentioned an anonymously dropped tip on the ability to hack SHIELD for information concerning their agents. Gordon and his team were in the process of making a deal with this mystery man when Natasha and I crashed his little tea party, so we're pretty sure their deal fell through. However, we had a gut feeling this man may have been the Sorcerer.

With those fields well examined, we were now in the process of planning a way to infiltrate Doom's hierarchy, though the man had been under the radar for almost a year now. This could mean either he was planning something huge, or he was simply just not willing to be found. And when he wasn't willing to be found, he wouldn't be.

In SHIELD headquarters, Natasha, Ethan and I bent over a circular Stark-Tech table lit with a gridded image of new York. We were deep in discussion over the possible locations of Doom's latest lair and the best way to access the scientists and technicians that worked there, when suddenly Captain Steve Rogers banged on the door, blonde hair and handsome face appearing in the small glass window.

I reached over and swung the door open, and he quickly exhaled "We found something."

A moment later we were huddled around Agent Hill, who had pulled up a series of blog entries and websites that had alerted her 24/7 digital search on her office computer

"All 14 of these blogs appeared within the last hour. I wasn't completely sure of what it meant when the first few were pulled up, but by studying each entry, there's an obvious trend. They're far too similar to be a mere coincidence." Agent Hill began, turning her computer to let us all see one of the entries.

As we skimmed the article, I glanced back at Ethan, who had stayed back and out if the way, arms crossed in the corner. When my questioning gaze met his, he just shrugged sadly. Used to being left out, I suppose. Just when I was about to tell Ethan to get over here, Tony naturally started reading it out loud. Whether to our benefit, or just to be annoying, I wasn't sure.

"'Today- realized the truth- about humanity... We cant rule- need a ruler. Righteous, strong... Someone like-'" Stark paused. "Wait, 'someone like Loki'? Is this person serious?"

"There's another. Look how similar they are." Hill switched tabs on her computer, bringing another page to life.

"'We've lost- way, our race doesn't know... Time for a new ruler, someone who knows. -Been shown light, and know... Know Loki will lead us.' My gosh its true, isn't it." Stark finished with a frown. Hill nodded grimly.

"I was hoping you all would be able to formulate a theory for how this may have happened, since I believe most people have the intelligence to oppose supporting the Sorcerer, especially after what Loki did." Hill finished.

Steve cleared his throat. "We witnessed the Sorcerer's possession of the Hulk last week, and Loki was able to take multiple people under his control, so is it possible that this is large scale manipulation? Agent Hill, where were these blog entries written?"

"All in New York, Captain."

"So it's centered exactly where his is. This is possible, right?" Rogers asked the group.

"It's seems like it. A pretty freaking douchy move on his part. Guess he wasn't lying about gaining the people's support. Didn't mention anything about mind control though." Stark stated bluntly.

"'Feel like we should have seen this one coming." I added pessimisticly. Enough with this mind control already.

"So- he's gathering support. Building an army, if I may. It's a straightforward strategy, up until when he decides on what to do when he's done." Natasha analyzed. We all nodded and silently returned to thought. He very well couldn't get a bunch of civilians to defeat us, the "mighty Avengers" and all, unless-!

"He's planning to lead them against us! He knows we won't fire on innocent civilians!" I exclaimed, catching everyone unawares.

It was Bruce that spoke then. "Clint has a good point. It's only logical that we, as heroes, can't hurt innocent people, leaving us powerless against a civilian army. I suppose we're a pretty easy team to figure out in those terms."

"Well, of course! We're not gonna start blowing up people in the street!" Stark exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his arms.

"Barton, if your theory is true, we must act quick to find the Sorcerer and take care of him before he has the chance to set civilians against us." Steve said sternly, suddenly feeling empowered by the seriousness of the situation. "I would suggest that all of us try to get in contact with the civilians who have written the blogs in aims to gain information concerning the whereabouts of the sorcerer. Barton, you and your team will most likely succeed in this area." He added, glancing at Natasha, Ethan and I. We nodded.

"Well, looks like we're off to work again, guys." Stark murmured just as Agent Hill minimized the pages and dismissed us. As soon as we were out of the office, Stark leaned to my ear and whispered, "Though I can't wait 'til we actually get a worthwhile job." I chuckled and nodded.

"l know what you mean."

And that day ended with just as much disappointment as the previous ones.

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Thanks for reading! 3


	5. Chapter 5: Possession

_I present to you... the next chapter! This one is in NO way idle plot foundations, this IS the plot! Hope you like! and yes guys! I did update twice in one weekend! I'm rather proud of myself! Please enjoy, and let me know what you think of this story so far! Hope Loki's absence so far isn't turning you away, cause remember, it's all part of his plan! ;)_

_(And I don't know if I should put a warning or not? This chappy has some language! Poor Barton...)_

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**Chapter 5:**

The next day, I had just woken up and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my bare shoulder where I had slept on it wrong. My eyes were still clouded with sleep and I yawned, stretching. Just then my alarm clock went off again, the radio playing some current hit song with a catchy beat. I had originally had my alarm play, well, an alarm, but after many days of waking up to what I thought was an attack warning or a fire fight, I decided the top 20 was probably a safer way to go, especially after Natasha had complained about hearing me bash my alarm clock morning after morning. This morning however, she had woken before me and was long gone.

I hit the off button on the clock reading 8:42, and then groggily stood up, going to wash my face in the bathroom. But as I passed my dresser, I saw my phone glowing with 3 missed messages. Touching the screen, I scrolled through them and noticed that all three were from Ethan this morning. They read:

7:27: _Hey Hawk! Got a hit- you wanna come check it out with me?- Ethan_

7:50: _Heyyy sleepyhead! I considered going without you, but I think it might be something that it's better for two people to check out. You know, 'for insurance'. -Ethan_

8:34: _Clint! Seriously man! Give me a call, I can't wait all day for you! -Ethan_

And that was it. I groaned inwardly, I wasn't really feeling up to anything today, especially not this early. Sure, I'm supposed to be an Avenger and all, but I'm still a human, an I still have those days I just want to crawl back under my covers and sleep for a day. But I knew Ethan would keep bothering me, so I called him.

We planned on 10. That gave me plenty of time to shower, eat and meet him at HQ. There went my relaxing morning, but it was fair enough.

I showed up in front of SHIELD at 10:03, Caffe Mocha from Starbucks in hand. Ethan glanced at it and smiled, "Not much of a morning person, huh?"

"On occasion." I shrugged, adjusting the light-weight black scarf I had fashioned around my neck. Winter was settling in New York City.

"So you ready?" Ethan asked, casually sticking his gloved hands in the pockets of his charcoal grey pea coat.

"Depends. You didn't exactly finish briefing me over the phone." I replied, glancing at him before going back to scanning the faces of the people who walked passed us on the busy sidewalks. So many black pea coats...

"Nah, it's nothing much, just like I told you! Come on." We started walking south towards Time Square.

"Seriously, Ethan. Just tell me, do I need a gun for this? 'Cause I can go get one. What's the threat level?" I insisted urgently, just as we pushed ourselves in between a newspaper stand and a group of people waiting to cross the street.

Ethan laughed. "Unless you want to blow the chick's head off, I doubt it." He sent me a glance before playfully jumping onto the curb of the street we just crossed. "Miss Jacqueline Deitri. Author of the forth blog entry. She works for Marsh and McLennan Insurance, on 6th Avenue. Thought we'd stop by and see what she has to say. Sound good?"

"Yep. Solid." I replied, taking another sip of my coffee. Guess I wouldn't be killing anyone today.

We walked the rest of the way in idle chatter, discussing Ethan's latest night out and his last fling, as well as argue over why I wasn't willing to discuss my relationship with Natasha, and before we knew it, we were there.

The building was of course, tall, like any other building in this area, with tall glass windows, and a lobby of rather intimidating grandeur. I was busy inspecting the number of elevators in the lobby, when Ethan made a bee-line to the receptionist.

"I have a meeting with Miss Deitri... The name's Nathan Lester..." I turned my attention to a golden trashcan to my left and dropped my empty coffee cup in it, hearing it slide down and hit the bottom of the near-empty trash bag within. Then suddenly, "Aaron!" I jerked my head up at the mention of my alternate identity to see Ethan waving me over. I joined him at the elevator, and then we went up, up, up, up, and up. Floor 32. Glad I didn't have to use the stairs.

I followed Ethan down a long hall lit by ornate fixtures every fifteen or so feet, until we reached another lobby, with two doors leading to a rather large meeting room. Strange place to have an office?

"The door's open." The man at the desk said, motioning to his right. Ethan nodded a thanks, then motioned me to follow.

"You sure this is the right place?" I whispered, as we opened the door. But just then my stomach dropped, as I saw we were walking into a room full of people quietly sitting in rows facing a wall full of windows. They were...waiting. I looked urgently to Ethan. Something was up.

"Yeah, yeah, totally! Don't worry, it'll just be a minute." He whispered back, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me into a seat on the edge of one of the middle rows. I looked around nervously, noticing with a subdued confusion that all the people here were staring idly towards the windows, not even making an effort at small-talk with the other business people that sat beside them. As if suddenly aware of the heat in the room, I pulled my scarf away from my neck and bundled it in my fists.

"Ethan, this doesn't look like Miss Deitri's office." I whispered under my breath. Ethan just put up a hand is if to silence me, not even breaking his concentration to the front of the room. What the hell kind of joke was this?

And then the lights dimmed, save for a single row of lights at the front. I anxiously looked around, carefully watching everyone in the room for any sudden movements.

But then I heard it. _His _voice.

"_Greetings, my loyal and fellow followers! How wonderful it is for us to join here together, for here I am, your humble leader!" _

And in a flash of bright green, The Sorcerer stood at the front of the room, arms spread wide, almost wider than the sick grin on his face. Immediately everyone in the room stood, just as I jumped backwards, nearly tripping on the legs of my chair in my panic.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome all!" He boomed, grinning around at all the people as he stepped forward.

"Ethan! Ethan- we need to-!" I quietly stammered as I reached out to grab Ethan's sleeve, but then suddenly everyone in the room formed their left hand in the shape of an L and held it over their hearts. As I grasped desperately at Ethan's arm, I watched in absolute horror as he moved just like the others, and he spoke in unison as everyone in the room echoed,

"_Welcome Lord Loki." _

My hair stood on end and I felt chills run down my spine as their voices joined together as if they were a mechanical army. But I knew that wasn't true, because I could feel the Sorcerer's magic pulsating through the air. And then I noticed I could see it too, harbored in the eyes of those who stood mindlessly before him. How could he _do _this?!

My breath was coming in short gasps as I stepped backwards again, but I startled as suddenly someone grabbed me from behind. My eyes widened and I shouted," Get off me!" but before I could shake myself free, I heard the Sorcerer speak again. But this time he was speaking to me.

"Welcome, Mr. Clint Barton. We've been awaiting your presence." And just then every single head in the room turned to me, eyes blazing with an unholy green as they said in unison,

"_Welcome, Mr. Clint Barton." _And if that wasn't the scariest fucking thing I have ever heard in my entire life, then I don't know what is. For a split second I thought I might faint as my heard reached an unnaturally fast rate. SHIELD didn't train us in exorcisms.

"Wh- What the fuck is this?!" I stammered, ripping my arm from the man who held me, hand itching to grab a bow that I had stupidly _not _brought with me.

At that the man grinned, eyes shining with the same intense green.

"Your new problem." The Sorcerer said, and then he pointed straight at me and yelled, "GET HIM!"

"Holy FU-" I cried as suddenly everyone in the room lunged at me, arms outstretched and fingers clawing to grab me. I lept backwards, crashing into more people who grabbed at my clothes, hands clenching around my arms as I frustratingly bat them away, eyes wide with horror at what was happening. I elbowed some people in the temple, making them fall away, others I ungracefully kicked and punched at, missing the majority of the critical locations and only causing more panic.

It took me a long moment of chaos before I suddenly remembered the door. I had to get out of here. Right. Fucking. NOW.

I cried out as someone dragged their nails across my cheek, as I forced myself to the door, ripping hands away from me as I went. With a final fury of kicks, I made it to the door, slamming it open, and then shutting it promptly behind me, crushing a few arms in the way. I grabbed the scarf I had brought and quickly wrapped it through and around the two handles on the doors, knotting it tight as the people kept banging on the wood.

But as I turned to run down the hall, I noticed with horror that the men at the desk were also controlled, lunging at me as I ran by. It only took them a minute to untie my scarf, and soon I heard the pounding of feet on the stone tiled hall.

Thoughts flew across my mind as I ran, figuring that if the men outside were possessed, that meant that the ones downstairs were most likely also possessed, meaning that the elevators may be a death trap. So that left me with stairs.

"Stairs, stairs, stairs...!" I murmured as I ran, eyes rapidly scanning the doors as I passed. There! A wooden door with a small window marked 'Stairs'. I slammed open the door and jumped into the eerily lit stairwell, not wasting a second before leaping down flight after flight of stairs. Shit, shit, shit! I heard the door a few stories up slam open as they made their pursuit, feet pounding clumsily down the steps. But I was quick, and as I sprinted, I heard their footsteps fade. Just then however, a door beside me slammed open, nearly hitting me head on. A man threw his foot out, catching me on the ankle and my eyes went wide as I felt my body continue forward. I panicked and tried to correct my fall, but landed bad on my left foot as vibrant pain shot up my leg as an equally vibrant word escaped my lips when I hit the wall.

But that wasn't going to stop me.

I don't know how long I ran down those steps for, but the pain steadily faded and before I new it, I burst into the lobby. As I had expected, the receptionists yelled out as soon as they set eyes on me, and suddenly everyone in the room was running for me. I noticed one of the guards raise a gun and point it in my direction. I fell into a roll just as a bullet flew overhead, shattering one of the front windows and summoning screams from the people on the street. I fluidly got back to my feet and jumped for the door, shoving a middle aged man out of the way as I dove out onto the street just as another bullet slammed into the glass beside me.

I shoved my way through the busy sidewalks, ignoring the yells of protest and reprimanding glares. It was a good sign, actually. These people weren't possessed at least.

I darted down another street and headed towards 7th Avenue, planning to work my way away from the masses of people littering the streets. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and hit speed dial 2, immediately bringing up the Avengers' hotlines.

"Guys, we have a problem." I began, panting into the phone as I ran, sending worried glances in every direction. "Sorcerer's possessed a shitload of people down on 6th. Price is compromised, and I'm unarmed and getting the hell out of here."

I reached 7th, but as I turned onto the sidewalk, I noticed the people begin to stare at me. Then it was just as if the Sorcerer clicked on a switch of Christmas lights, because suddenly the eyes of every single person on that sidewalk lit up with the same unholy green, their expressions immediately turning violent as their arms grabbed at me.

"Barton! Just don't hurt any of them!" Natasha's worried voice sounded in my ear. I swore as I heavy set man latched onto my arm. I tried to shake him free, because he was just a civilian. They were all innocent, every single one of them. But I cried out as his fingers dug violently into my wrist, surely drawing blood. Well, I already knew there was no way I could avoid violence.

"Can't! They're- hostile!" I exclaimed as I knocked the man away with a sharp hit to the jaw. I continued running, desperate to not let anyone else grasp onto me. I spared a glance at my wrist, and sure enough some skin was peeled away as fresh blood appeared on the surface.

"They're only after you?" Fury asked just as I darted into a side store, sprinting to the rear and out through the back door, stumbling into the alley behind it. My eyes landed on a fire escape, and I quickly yanked it down, leaping up the rungs.

"Looks like it. They're damn determined too-" I grunted as I jumped to the next level, hauling myself over the railing just as the door below me slammed open. I swore as my hands were cut on the rusting metal, but I kept climbing.

"I'm going to need to be air lifted out of here, Fury."

"I'm sending a helicopter to your location now. Try to make it another 3 minutes." Fury's voice replied from the other line. "Hopefully with you out of the picture, The Sorcerer will call off his attack."

"Roger that." I replied, jumping onto the final platform of the fire escape. I looked down to see two men trying to climb up the escape ladder, but appeared to be struggling. I looked down to the other end of the alley, and saw a few more people idly strolling this way, but when they saw me, they began to run.

I turned my sights to the opposite building, and found its roof lower than this one, and with a jump I could make. I pulled myself the roof and gave myself some running distance, before sprinting to the edge, clearing the gap and landing in a roll on the roof of the opposite apartment building. I ran to the edge and quickly located the fire escape. I jumped down and turned to the window of the apartment. I needed a place to hide. Time to take my chances.

I quickly kicked out, cracking the window. I grunted and kicked again, this time the window shattered. I tore out the blinds and jumped through the opening, landing awkwardly on the kitchen table. I quickly jumped off and kept low, listening for any movement inside. It was quiet.

I turned to corner carefully, looking throughout what appeared to be the family room. The TV was off, and the room silent. I kept my back to the wall and slid into the room, hand grabbing a steel picture frame off the wall just in case. It was still quiet.

But my gut felt the urge to make sure the apartment was empty, so I made my way to the bedroom on the far side. As I carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside the dark room, that's when I made my mistake.

A laptop was slammed over my head, knocking me into the door where I clumsily struggled to stand and keep my consciousness. My vision swam and I could barely coordinate my arms to block another swing of the computer. It broke this time, pieces falling to the floor. I cursed myself for my stupid mistake as I stumbled towards the person, and as I drew back the picture frame I had grabbed, my eyes widened when I saw the eery green glow of the persons eyes, illuminating the woman's face. I admit then I panicked, and hit her far harder than I needed too. She crumpled to the ground, and I stood there for a minute in shock.

This is not what I had imagined this morning when I got out of bed.

"Barton? You still alive? Air support in 14, 13, 12..." Fury's voice quietly drifted to my ears from the floor where I realized I must have dropped my phone.

"Be right there." I replied as I grabbed my phone from the floor. I rushed to the window, and climbed back onto the fire escape. With every thump of my brain within my skull I regretted entering that apartment, especially when I reached the roof and saw no one besides my flight waiting for me. Hindsight's 20-20, I suppose.

The helicopter dropped a ladder for me, and I grabbed hold as I was hoisted into the air, the ladder withdrawn until I was able to grab hold of the edge of the chopper, strong arms pulling me inside. I sprawled onto the floor with a groan, suddenly aware of the stinging of my face, wrist and palms, and the dull, but constant, throbbing of my head and ankle.

Suddenly Natasha's face appeared in my line of sight, her short red hair framing her face beautifully as she leaned over me.

"You're gonna be alright, Barton. We're getting you out of here." She said, voice somewhere between ordering and comforting.

I attempted a smile that probably ended up more like a grimace, and a 'Thanks, Nat' that probably was just a weak mumble. She smiled at me anyway, and then grabbed my hand, turning to look back towards the pilot, and with a nod, the chopper began to move forward.

As the rhythmic turn of the blades propelled us back home, I lazily let my eyes fall shut. But instead just the normal black drape of my eyelids, I saw a set of bright, glowing, green eyes floating in the darkness.

An eery, unholy, green...

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Thanks for reading and please review! I would love to hear what you guys think of it! (Keeps me confident and motivated!)

[[**Authors Note:** Would you guys believe me that this entire chapter came to me in a dream? That this was the scene that served as the foundation of this entire fanfiction? Cause it's true. I remember while having this dream I was thinking how fantastic of a story this could turn out to be, and as I was writing it all down the next morning, things just kind of fell together in a huge rush. The characters, the connections, the plot, and eventually... the execution! It was seriously amazing, I can't even get over how it happened myself :) I swear my sleeping-conscience is a genius! So I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I did! :) ...Except truthfully... the dream was pretty creepy... ]]

**Author's Note PS: **Did anyone catch Barton's second identity? *nudge nudge, wink wink* ;)


	6. Chapter 6: Loki's Arrival

_~Well guys! Here's the chapter I hope many of you have been waiting for! Took me a while to get here, but it was all in good time! Hope you all enjoy it! Please, please review, I'd love to know what you guys think of this fic so far! Loki sends his regards... ;)_

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**Chapter 6:**

"Ah- ow!" I exclaimed as Natasha dabbed at the slowly scabbing cuts on my cheek. They sure stung, but the only thing I was praying for was that they wouldn't scar.

"Shit, man, looks like you were in a Zombie apocalypse or something." Tony said, staring at me from the patient bench across the small SHIELD medical attention room. His shiny dress shoes rhythmically thumped against the cabinet doors as he swung his feet absentmindedly.

"Felt like it, too." I replied, wincing as Natasha stretched a bandage across the scratches, firmly pressing down until they stuck. She had already wrapped my wrist, and thoroughly cleaned my hands, but the bandage on my face was nearing embarrassment. I wasn't sure if I liked the fact that she was doing this herself, but we decided it was probably safer to keep other- normal- people away for me for a bit. But it hadn't protected Ethan, had it...

"Well, when all that scars, you're gonna look pretty bad ass." Tony replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Tony, there's nothing at all 'bad ass' about getting clawed at by some possessed lady, alright?" I replied curtly, rolling my eyes before idly watching Natasha put the remaining medicine and bandages in a box.

"Hey, but-" Suddenly Fury appeared in the doorway.

"Barton, we need to finish our debriefing immediately." Fury said.

"Look, I already told you everything I know! What's important now is finding Price." I replied sternly. I felt Natasha's comforting hand on my shoulder. Suddenly I was reminded of when she must have felt the same way, having a friend under the control of an enemy...

"Agent, we're running a face scan now, but what you're missing is the fact that this man ran a wide scale possession of civilian people without signs of limitation. We're extremely lucky that he called off the attack as soon as we airlifted you out of there, but the fact still stands that what we feared happening _is _happening, and we have no defense and no way to counter his magic!" Fury explained. "And if I we wait any longer, the Council is going to be riding my ass about ordering another air strike or some shit like that!"

"'Cause that went so well last time." Tony added sarcastically, hopping off the bench and heading to the door. I stood slowly, groaning as I rubbed my temple. They told me I didn't have a concussion, but that didn't save me from a killer headache.

"I don't know what to tell you, Directer." I answered, absently. Because that was the truth. We couldn't fight magic. We couldn't fight large scale control of a civilian population. That wasn't our game. Not when the man leading it was no where to be found.

Just then, a woman came running down the hall, coming to an abrupt stop before suddenly saying, "Agent Price is here, sir!" My eyes went wide.

"Where." And then we were all hurrying down the hall, down a few flights of stairs, and into a main lobby, where there stood Ethan, head drooped forward and shoulders slumped awkwardly.

"Ethan! Ethan-!" I ran forward, ignoring Fury's shout of protest, and grabbed Price by the shoulders, shaking him lightly. His eyes lazily focused on me as he mumbled something.

"What? What, tell me-" I prompted, eagerly looking at him. I noticed a fading green glow in his eyes. I gripped his shoulders harder. By this time the others had gathered around, listening eagerly.

"W-without ma-agic, y-you stand n-no chance. I-I cann-ot be defeated. No-t by you." Ethan mumbled, voice barely audible. He slumped forward a bit, and I struggled to support him. "L-loki sends hi-is regards." And with that, Ethan's legs gave out and he slumped full-force in my arms. Tony jumped forward, taking half of Ethan's weight as we pulled him to the couch near the edge of the lobby. As soon as we had put him down, Fury sent the woman who had alerted us to go get medical help. I pressed a finger to his neck and was relieved to feel his jumping pulse. Natasha leaned forward and lifted one of his eye lids up, exposing Ethan's brown eyes, no hint of green.

"The magic's gone." She said, letting Ethan's eye fall shut again. But Tony was already thinking about what he had said.

"'Loki sends his regards'... Not, _Loki _Loki, right?" Tony questioned, deep in thought. I glanced at Natasha who was looking at me.

"No... he must have meant the Sorcerer. It was a message from the Sorcerer. But by saying we need magic, he couldn't possibly...?" Natasha pondered, eyes moving cautiously between the two of us, unsure whether to continue her thought.

"Couldn't possibly _what, _Agent?" Fury prompted from behind us.

Natasha knitted her eyebrows, looking back down to the unconscious Ethan before speaking.

"...Be implying we require... a certain someone's help." She said, risking a glance up at us all.

"Loki. _Loki's _help?" Tony replied, voice near hysterics. "Are you _suggesting-" _

"I'm just _saying, _Stark, if the Sorcerer says we need magic to counter him, then what else does that mean than either we're _screwed _because _don't _have magic, or to go _find _someone who does? Because, I'm sorry, but I don't think your arc reactor can counter a spell controlling every civilian of New York City." Natasha retorted, voice abnormally aggressive for her usually calm demeanor.

"Hey! Well I don't see your little _pistols _doing any better!" Tony countered, immediately becoming defensive. "And it's a better plan then calling on that psychopath! We might as well-!"

"AGENTS!" Fury yelled, veins nearly bursting from his throat. "We will move this discussion to the conference room immediately, this is a matter for us all to discuss as mature and responsible _adults!_" At that he looked pointedly at Tony, who scoffed.

We began walking back towards our previous floor when some people with a stretcher came for Ethan. I looked wistfully back with an urge to stay with him, but then Natasha said, "Dont worry, Clint. He'll be alright." I nodded once and then we hurried on our way.

–

"So you're saying The Sorcerer sent a message saying that to even stand a chance against him we need someone with magic? Someone like Loki?" Steve said, standing at the edge of the table we were gathered around.

"Well at this point, Captain, someone like Loki _is _Loki. We don't have many other options. And the threat level only grows." Natasha said. I eyed her warily. Why was she pressing this so hard? There had to be another way... But then again, I was the one who saw it first hand. I was kind of beginning to doubt it myself.

"It is true. My brother is a talented sorcerer, his mind is full of charms and spells able to counter the magic of our enemy." Thor interjected, seeming slightly prideful of his brother at this moment. I eyed him warily, wondering what he truly thought of this idea.

"And I hate to admit it, but if we face another attack like that one, there's really nothing we can do." I added, remembering the hundreds of people clawing and grabbing to get a hold of me. I couldn't help as a shiver passed through my spine.

"So Loki. That's our magnificent plan? We bring him back here? We bring him to _Earth?_" Tony said in disbelief. I realized we must have all had the same idea sometime, but Tony was the first to actually say it in words. Loki. Here. On Earth. Again. Did we have a death wish?

"Do you have any other plan Tony?" Steve asked, somewhere between a question and a dare. But at that Tony just sighed and dropped his gaze to the table top. There was a moment of heavy silence, and then Tony's head jerked up as he exclaimed,

"A week! If you give me a week, I can develop technology to track The Sorcerer's magic signa-"

"We don't _have _a week, Stark!" Fury madly countered, banging a fist on the table in absolution. Tony fell silent.

"So what's our plan? Get Thor to try to convince Asgard to let their #1 criminal free? Get the Council to somehow approve this? I doubt that will be easy." Steve said, bringing the conversation back to reality. And what a tough reality it was. What were we doing here, really?

"Captain, sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission." Fury responded, and then turned towards the blonde god. "Thor, tell us, how plausible is this?"

"The All-Father will be tough to convince, but it is possible he may see it as chance at redemption. I will go and talk to both Odin and Loki, and try to get my brother to see the help he can be. Perhaps the All-Father will grant Loki a shorter sentence in return for his assistance here on Midgard." Thor pondered.

"You actually think Reindeer games is going to listen to you?" Tony interjected.

"I pray he will." Thor replied solemnly. "I will try regardless. Perhaps he has changed during his imprisonment, I regret to say Asgard's prisons are not kind... " Thor looked to Directer Fury, who nodded.

"I'm regretful to say desperate times call for desperate measures, but it looks like this is our option now, and we must all hope and pray for the best." Fury said, still obviously conflicted over this tough call.

"But remember, if we beat him once, we can beat him again. And this time he won't have an alien army to back him up." Steve said confidently, trying to be the good captain and cheer us up, but the growing despair was palpable in the room.

"Meeting adjourned. Thor, be on your way..."

...We were inviting chaos to a dinner party.

* * *

I didn't think the day would come that I would once again find myself standing in front of none other than the mighty Loki, God of Mischief. Not a fake, not a poser, and most of all, _not _powerless. That was one of the things we overlooked during our pressed planning. Loki needed his powers back for this, and he got them. And according to Thor, he barely even touched his true magic last time he was here. And even though he was locked up good and safe behind glass walls nearly an entire foot thick, at this point I was pretty sure every single one of us here was absolutely and thoroughly _fucked. _

So it didn't help to hear his confident, self-satisfied, cocky-ass voice again as he stood strong and tall right in the middle his new containment room, staring (or was it glaring?) at each and every one of us.

_"_I was almost beginning to miss the place... as well as all of your lovely faces. Hope you didn't grow too... sedentary in my absence." He began with a slight smirk, motioning absently with his hands, vambraces glinting in the artificial light. "But then again, I've heard that a new foe challenges you. A foe so _drastically villainous _that you must call upon your past opponent, in hopes that he may fight your battles for you? How quickly your alliances shift..."

"Do not think of yourself as a sudden ally, Loki. We would never stoop to such a level." Fury responded, easily brushing off Loki's underhanded jabs and adding one of his own.

Loki's eyes narrowed at that, but he curtly replied, "If this situation is as drastic as you make it out to be, then I would suggest you act more kindly to the only being who stands between unending chaos and peace. It's a tricky balance, Director. I would watch where you step."

"Almost as tricky as you, am I correct?" Fury responded quickly. At that Loki smiled.

"You are."

And if I wasn't feeling uneasy before, I was now. I couldn't draw my eyes from the Trickster God, as if he emanated danger, sent vibes saying "If you look away, the world will fall by my hand." And that grin. Even when he wasn't smiling, he still was. As if every single card was in his hand. But I knew the tactic of bluffing, acting like everything was under your control, when really it wasn't. Sure, Loki could be bluffing, he probably was really good at it too. But there's some things you just can't shake, you know? And the idea that Loki had something big up his sleeve was one of those things. I glanced to the other Avengers, their gazes equally as suspicious, but when I looked back to Loki, I saw him looking directly at me. But not exactly _at _me, _within _me. Like he was reading my thoughts. And then I saw his eyes flash green. _Bright _green. I quickly turned away, looking to see if Natasha saw that, but she didn't seem to have noticed.

And then Loki chuckled.

"Seems as though one of your own has seen the reach of The Sorcerer's powers. Possession is not a trivial thing, you would know, wouldn't you, Barton?" Loki said with a smirk, eyes locking with mine. For a long moment I was dumbfounded, caught somewhere between anger and fear. What was this man getting at?

"And _I _would like _you _to know, Loki, that this is an utmost matter of business, so I would appreciate you keep the taunting for another day." Fury stated bluntly as Loki's attention was brought back to him.

"Oh, my apologies, Director." Loki said, words dripping with sarcasm.

"Now as we've gone through the trouble of getting you back here on earth,-"

"-Against your better judgment, I'm sure." Loki added, obviously finding some sort of amusement in of the contrast between how desperate we were, and how utterly uninterested he was.

"I question it every moment." Fury quickly responded, wit not missing a beat. Loki smirked again. This was all just a game to him, wasn't it. I don't know how we ever thought this would actually go our way. Fury cleared his throat. "As I was saying, since you're here on Earth now, we expect you to-"

"Look, Director." Loki interrupted suddenly, walking forwards til he was right against the glass, nearly face to face with Fury. "I appear to have been given a task. A task, as I am rather touched, you believe I am capable of handling. You offer me a reward, a shortened sentence in Asgard. A tempting reward, unless, of course, it's no longer applicable." At that, Loki raised an eyebrow as if willing us to come to our own intelligent conclusions.

"Whatever you're getting at Loki, it won't happen. You're to be under the constant surveillance of my team, and on your _best _behavior, until this little task is taken care of. But in the mean time, we will all work as a group, where you will serve as our means to locate and battle this Sorcerer. And when the task is done, and our enemy neutralized, you will return back to Asgard, with your reward of a shorter sentence, as well as the warm fuzzy feeling of helping people," Fury added sarcastically. But Loki just shook his head, and smiled a sad, kind of pitying smile as he gazed at Fury.

"I think you misunderstand me, Directer. You act as if I am not aware of the situation. But in reality, I know it better than you do. This little 'plan' you've thought up? See, it doesn't quite fit into mine." I could feel Fury grimace. I could feel _all _of us tense. Here it was, here was the moment we'd all be dreading.

"Oh, and what would that plan be?" Fury replied, as if humoring Loki's intentions. But we immediately knew that was probably not the best thing to do in a situation like this.

Loki just tisked. "Normally, I wouldn't reveal my schemes to the mere mortals that fall victim to them, but as you all have a habit of tripping into my carefully laid little traps, I suppose I'll let you all have a glimpse." Loki then lifted a hand, and suddenly a glowing figure appeared there. A figure with short black hair and a long leather vest. We all nearly jumped, because here was Loki's magic. I felt the vibes in the room shift, and I knew it was only going downhill from here. And downhill fast.

"'The Sorcerer.', as you all have deemed him. When I found him, however, I believe he went by Jack Collins. Just a bit of... _sorcery_ to fix that, however. But I'm very glad he posed as a worthy opponent." Loki said absently while staring into his projection, before locking eyes purposefully with Fury. "That is, worthy enough for you to call me here to dispose of him._"_

And then it all fell together in a chaotic pile of clues and flying thoughts, all pointing this way and that, The Sorcerer, the magic, the speech, the plot, the people, the attack, desperation, the inevitable _plan. _All of them, pointing straight to _Loki. _

"Oh yes, _my dear Avengers," _Loki began, and I noticed with suppressed horror that he used the same words that the Sorcerer used that first day. "It was all my _plan. _Create a worthy villain to manipulate the heroes to call upon a past enemy. And the most important part, letting that _enemy _return to earth with all of his_ powers." _

_"_Brother, how?!" Thor suddenly exclaimed, "You have not had your magic for some time, even you could not control a man from Asgard! This is not a plot you could have mastered!"

"You doubt me, Thor. But it was merely a bit of pre-planning. Forethought, so to speak. There comes a moment when you know you have lost the battle, and it is in that moment that you must ensure you will not lose the war. That is what I have done, _brother_. And that is why I stand here before you, unchained and with the world at my ready command." Loki said confidently, and then, as if suddenly reaching the conclusion that he's spoken enough, he dissipated the image of the Sorcerer and instead turned his palms outwards, facing us. Then he grinned and clenched his hands. Suddenly the room was filled with the shrill noise of ear-splitting cracks as the huge planes of glass separating us from Loki cracked and shattered, spraying sharp shards throughout the air.

Then Fury was yelling into his radio, calling guards in immediately. I wanted to run and grab my bow from the room right outside, but I had a sinking feeling it was already too late. In a split second Loki was at Fury's throat, hand steadily closing.

"You seem to have underestimated my power, Director." Loki nearly spat in his face. "To think I ever go a moment without a plan, to think I ever go a second without being in control. _Wrong!_" Then Loki shoved him roughly to the ground, Fury landing ungracefully amongst the fallen glass.

"As for the rest of you, we will meet again, when the time is right." Loki mused with a sick grin, taking a moment to look at everyone of us. "Until then, farewell." And with a swirl of bright green fire, Loki vanished from the room, but not before leaving us with one, final thought,

_"__I hope you enjoyed my game." _

And then he was gone.

* * *

...dun dun dun! And I think this chapter completes my 3 chapter rush in the last few days, haha! Now I'm going to need to take a few steps back, because my buddy Loki and I need to have a nice chat about what crazy shit he's going to pull next! Hahaha. So glad Loki could finally join us in person though, it's about time he showed his face!

~Please review! 3


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